Question:
Understanding post op lab values...

Despite my Zoloft (max dosage), I am feeling really run down and depressed. I have tried low carb / no carb / high carb / chocolate / extra calories / lower calories / exercise / no exercise / naps / no naps... you get the idea. I can't shake this funk I am in and I STILL cannot tolerate that darned Welbutrin that made me feel so much better. Anyway, I asked to get my blood work tested. I am still missing a few results (like B-12), but here's what I have that is out of range: Hemoglobin 10.4 (11.7 - 15.5) LOW Hematocrit 32.1 (35.0 - 45.0) LOW MCV 76.8 (80.0 - 100.0) LOW MCH 25.0 (27.0 - 33.0) LOW Iron 31 (35 - 175) LOW TIBC 419 (250 - 400) HIGH % Saturation 7 (15 - 50) LOW Other than understanding that my iron is low, I have no idea what these mean. Is my iron low enough that anemia could be causing this? It doesn't seem like it is THAT low, but I have no idea what "really low" would look like. Can anyone help? Obviously I will discuss this with my doctor, but the results got faxed to me at 4:30 on a Saturday morning... Thanks for any insight...    — Karen F. (posted on September 28, 2002)

September 28, 2002
Yes, you are anemic. Low iron can make you drag quite a bit and make you feel depressed. Liquid Geritol helps a lot, but iron should always be prescribed by a professional because it easy to overdose on it. I am surprised that with results as yours, that the doctor or his nurse did not call you directly. Especially since you are a WLS patient. Abnormal results should never be faxed to a patient without some kind of explanation or plan of medical treatment. Whether action is taken or not. This is highly unethical.
   — Sue A.